NATO, Ukraine, Israel Leaders Honor Lindsey Graham After Death
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Zelenskyy said he met Graham twice in the week before his death and noted the senator had visited Ukraine 10 times since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, calling him 'a true defender of freedom'
- Graham announced on Friday—just before his death—that he had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move ahead with a sanctions package against Russia
- Estonia's Margus Tsahkna, Latvia's Baiba Braze, and Lithuania's Kestutis Budrys praised Graham as a steadfast friend of NATO's eastern flank and unwavering advocate for Ukraine
- Finnish President Alexander Stubb called Graham 'a personal friend. A supporter of @NATO and Ukraine. A Transatlanticist. A friend of Finland'
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Graham 'a great friend of Israel' and 'a cherished friend of mine,' saying Israel had lost one of its greatest friends and America a great patriot
- Iranian state television announced Graham's death with openly hostile language, with the anchor congratulating Iran that 'the warmongering and anti-Iranian US senator' had 'gone to hell'
- Graham, once a Trump critic before becoming a close ally, advised the president on foreign policy including Iran and Russia, backed strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, and was a longtime advocate of isolating Tehran
Why it matters: Graham's death removes one of the Senate's most consistent champions for arming Ukraine and sanctioning Russia at the very moment he had just brokered a new Russia sanctions package with the Trump administration on Friday, while Eastern European leaders credited his personal advocacy with hardening NATO's eastern flank.
